Nostalgic Feelings
by Kyuuseishu Setsuna
Summary: Flora must now make the decision of whether or not to become the succesor to the throne. Is there a reason why Laharl would choose her? Please RR
1. New Feelings Reborn

**Author's notes: **Those who were expecting the next episode of 'Tsubasa no Aku' won't be getting it right away. Why? Cuz I think I need a change of setting for a bit. If you have noticed, Yuki has entered the Alternate Netherworld, and the preview did hint at a big war. Right now, I'm trying to get the details down because I originally didn't plan on it being there, but I needed to re introduce a familiar NI character. Anyway, this new fic has a change of setting. What kind of change? Suppose the second bad ending occurred, where Flonne remains dead and Laharl gives up his position, suffering from his loss. This is not going to be like Illuminet's fic. It's going to be something totally different, and a lot more humorous to boot. Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Disgaea, but I slightly own some reincarnated characters, since I named them.

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It was a gloomy day in the Netherworld. Everyday did look gloomy for the Netherworld wasn't exactly a happy looking place, but there was darkness spreading everywhere. Chaos was hidden within one person. That person was the former Overlord, Laharl. Ever since the death of the angel trainee Flonne and Seraph Lamington, Laharl had been trudging through the Netherworld in search of inner peace. So far he has come up empty, and the more he witnesses Flonne's death, the harder itwas for him to control himself. And if that wasn't enough, the pendant that Flonne once gave him was continually burning him. Things were not looking up for the former Overlord. Suddenly, his heart began to beat faster, which was strange since wasn't in any danger or in a situation where such a thing could occur. 

"What's happen—ARRGGGH!!! W-what's going on!?!" Laharl couldbarely stand. There was somethinggenerating such pain, and it didn't take long for Laharl to realizewhat was happening. "GAH!! Could it be?" Laharl grabbed the pendant that hung around his neck. He realized what was going on: the pendant was giving Laharl leak searing pain all over his body. He tried to take it off, but he couldn't. He didn't want to get rid of his last gift from Flonne, plus he couldn't take it off anyway since it has gotten so heavy lately. The pain became unbearable. Darkness started to take over, and soon the white flower that represented Flonne's death started to hover. "Oh no!!! Flonne!!!!!" But Laharl couldn't reach it. The pain dragged him to ground. It only seemed to get worse. Then…all went black. Laharl couldn't see anything or even more. _Am I dead…?_ Then a voice calm, yet soothing voice echoed through his mind.

_Laharl-san…I know you can't let go of me…but you can't go on like this forever…and neither can I…that is why I'm leaving you…for now…I have been accepted into reincarnation…soon I'll have forgotten everything…even you…my wish is that you regain your confidence once again…thank you for everything…please have love for yourself...and love for those around you...just like you have shown me...sayonara...Laharl-san…_

When the voice faded away, there was no more pain. Laharl's body felt lighter. Like someone took away his burden. Laharl opened his eyes. He still had the pendant on, but the flower was gone. He touched the pendant, not even the normal stinging pain was there anymore. All he could feel…was warmth. He then thought about the voice. _That was Flonne wasn't it? If what she says is true…then maybe her reincarnation brought back those nostalgic feelings…_ Laharl got up from the ground with a new determination on face. There was a new mission in his heart. _Whoever she is being reincarnated into, I have to find her. No matter how long it takes, I will find Flonne…_

**Nostalgic Feelings episode 1: A New Feelings Reborn**

_I had a dream…a young boy swept me off my feet and carried to a far off place. His spiky blue hair with the slick antennas, the devious yet comforting grin, his smooth leathery wings…accompanied by his long flowing cape...he was no young boy. He was certainly not human…what was he…?_

"Flora!!! Flora Lammings, get up!!!!" A voice cracked.

"Eh!?!" The young girl, Flora, picked her head from the desk. Sheappeared to be a normal junior high school student, however there was something very peculiar about her. She was wearing her traditional school uniform: a white blouse and red mini skirt, accompainied by her silky coat. In her long blonde hair was alarge blue ribbon.Everyone was giving her a weird stare, especially her teacher at the front. The teacher had long braided blonde hair and was carrying a large text book with her.

"Please stay awake, Flora. Class is in session."

"I'm sorry ma'am." Flora replied apologetically. She bowed to her. "It won't happen again."

"Alright alright. You don't have to be so formal and apologetic. I forgive you. Just pay attention."

_My name is Flora Lammings and I'm junior high school student here at Tenshimura Junior High here in the city of Tenkai. I live with my mom, who works part time as a demon hunter. My father is a businessman. I often daydream in class, but I'm not as stupid as people think I am…okay maybe I'm a lil dense but…yeah. I feel so different from everyone else here in Tenkai. Why? Because of a certain being…demons…_

The teacher turned to the board. "Now back to our lesson about demons…" Someone raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Magma?"

A young boy stood up. This boy had very evil presence about him. He had a sinister glarealong with a matching 'I hate demons' cap."Yes, why must we learn about demons, Ms. Alora? Those…things are nothing but monsters!!!!"

Another stood up. Hedefinitely didn't look as evil as the other boy, butthe lookin his showed disgust in demons."Vulcan is right, Ms. Alora! Those fiends killed my sister!! Besides, the majority of our community are former demon hunters!!"

Alora shook her. "I know how you feel, Vulcan and Chris! Most of you feel hatred towards demons, am I correct?" Many agreed. Demons were not well liked. In fact they were not liked at all, especially in the city of Tenkai (note that Tenkai is the Japanese name for Celestia). The people here worshipped the angels of the sky and prayed that they would one day eliminate all demons. "However, learning about the past sometimes comes in handy. For those who wish to one day exterminate demons, knowledge of history may prove useful. Now let us turn to page 131, and begin our lesson on Overlord Krichevskoy's successor." Many groaned but had to listen anyway. After all, they were in school.

Flora, on the other hand, wasn't as interested in destroying demons. In fact, she felt quite sympathetic towards them. _I feel so sorry for them…our city keeps putting them down…when I know they aren't as evil as say they are. It's unfair to judge them on rumors and on a couple unruly demons. I'm sure demons are just like any human._

"Flora!!! Page 131 now!!!"

"Hai!!!!"

Later that day, Flora stayed after to help clean with Alora, as punishment for daydreaming yet again. Many things were going through her mind right now, especially about Tenkai's enemies, the demons. She never really thought of them as a threat, and so far that haven't been. After washing all the desks, she turned to Alora. She had to get this straightened out.

"Alora-san?"

"Yes, Flora-chan."

Flora hesitated for a bit. She didn't want to upset her with what she was going to say. She decided to use a rhetorical approach. "Say, I was wondering. You see I have this friend…who…likes demons…but lives within a demon hating community, so she feels…insecure and she asked me what to do and I can't give an answer. Could you help her?"

Alora giggled a bit. Soon afterwards, she plyaful patted Flora on the head. "That's cute. If you wanted to say that you loved demons Flora-chan, you should've said so."

"Whaaa!?! But I don't—"

"Flora, it's alright. Don't worry. I don't hate you." Alora replied in calm, friendly manner. "In fact, I'm glad you like demons."

"You're…glad…?"

"Yes." Alora said. "The students as well as everyone here on Earth hate demons so much that they wish they never even existed. They think they are nothing but evil beings that know onlyhow to destroy and torment. That…is far from the truth. Demons are just like humans, just as demons and angels are alike. Humans just can't understand and neither can demons." Alora patted her on the head again. "I'm glad that there is one who feels the way I do."

"You mean you think demons aren't evil, too?"

"Hai." Alora replied. "You're not alone, Flora-chan." Flora nodded, happy that there was nothing to worry about. That she was right all along. "Now you'd better run along, Flora-chan. Be ready for class tomorrow alright. NO DAYDREAMING!!!"

"Hai! Thank you again, Alora-san!"

Later that night, Flora began to watch TV. She searched for a good channel, but everything that was on, talked about evil demons. She couldn't stand seeing another channel bash another demon. Finally, she came upon a channel airing a show called 'Etna and Jennifer's Netherworld Telephone Shopping Network'. _Netherworld? Isn't that where demons live?_ She decided to catch a glimpse of the show.

"Our lovely item of the day comes from a fan favorite. Jennifer will you introduce this item to our loyal viewers?" Etna, the pink haired demon with skimpy outfit said.

"Of course, Etna-chan!!!" Replied a yellow Prinny. "What we have here today are the remaining parts of Kurtis!!! His cyborg parts, to this day still work in full glory!! Observe!!!" Jennifer hit a switch on one of the arms. Suddenly, the arm began to move and shot energy in all directions. A couple of screams were coming from off stage.

"Shut it off, Jennifer!!!"

"I can't!!! The switch is stuck!!! Get Thursday!!!"

"Okay!!!" Etna turned to the camera. "We'll be back after these messag—" Suddenly, the TV was off.

"Hey!!!"

"You shouldn't be watching this, Flora." A female voice warned her. "You'll get ideas."

"But okaa-san!"

"No 'buts'!!" Her mothersnapped back."There's no reason for you to pick up from these demons!!! If you start feeling any bit sympathetic towards them, they'll sneak up on you and betray you!!! Just like that demon that almost killed you when you were still a baby!!! Now please go to your room and do your homework."

Flora sighed and did what she was told. She went up stairs, groaning about what happened.

Her mother sighed and flopped on the couch. "What's with, Flora? Is she insane, watching a Netherworld channel in a city that totally hates demons?" The creak of a door was heard. A man in a businesssuit came in.

"I heard some yelling! Did I miss something?" asked the businessman. He had a very calm look on his face, which usually never faltered. He took off his fedora and place it on the coat rack. For an adult business man, he had pretty long blackish-grayish hair.

"Nothing, honey. Flora was just watching that Netherworld channel. I wonder why they even have that channel on Earth."

"I'm sure she was just curious, Aurora." The businessman said. "There's probably nothing to worry about."

Aurora sighed. "Why must you always be so calm, Tony?"

The next day, Flora happily skipped to school. One of her many talents were the fine art of fortune telling through the use of tarot cards. Everyday, she made a prediction. Her predicted that it would be a nice day…but soon she would have a fateful, yet nostalgic encounter. This made Flora feel so chipper and bright today. _Fateful and nostalgic…I wonder whom it is that I'm going to meet?_ Then a car pulled up beside Flora. Flora instantly recognized the driver of the shiny car. "Ohayo gozaimasu otou-san!!!"

"Ohayo, Flora-chan!" Tony greeted her, happy to see her so bright and cheerful. "Are you heading to school?"

"Hai!" However Flora couldn't stay and chat. "Sorry, but I have to go! Alora-san will get mad."

"That's alright. Go ahead, Flora!"

"Bai!!" Flora dashed off to school.

Tony, despite the smile on his face, had something hidden within him. He knew that soon, Flora would be going through a big change in her life. Something that will make a big impact on her. He remembered his meeting with the teacher last night. He knew full well of the following events.

**Flashback**

"This is going to be a hard time for her, Tony." Alora told him. They were meeting in her classroom, which was dark since no one was there. No one else was at the meeting. It was meeting betweenthe teacher Alora and her father, Tony Lammings."She realizes that demons aren't evil, unlike the rest of the community."

"I know." Tony replied, sipping coffee from his mug. "I've been feeling it too. It's going to be hard for her, especially since her mother is so bent on erasing all demons…but if I know her, and I do as her father, I'm sure she'll be able to pull out of it."

"You seem pretty confident."

"I AM confident." Tony sipped his coffee once again. "There's no doubt in my mind that she will do it. She will be the one that will continue our lil 'bond'."

"Heh…there is one other thing though. There have been rumors of a strange being who appeared on Earth through the use of a dimensional portal. He looks like a young boy and is evading capture from the police. Do you have any idea who he is?"

Tony chuckled to himself. He sipped his coffee again and looked to the window. The moon was glowing a bright red."Hahaha…so you have finally come…former Overlord…"

**End of Flashback**

Flora was now within the school grounds. The pace she was goingat allowed her to get there on time."Good, I'm just on time. I wonder what kind of lesson Alora-san will teach us today?" However, Flora couldn't get to the school grounds, for a familiar face and a couple of total strangers appeared before her. "Ohayo Vulcan-kun! Could you please move aside? I need to get to school!"

Vulcan just sneered at her. "I'd rather not. Our school doesn't accept demon sympathizers…"

"Eh!?!"

"Don't try and lie yourself out of this! I heard you saying that you felt sorry for demons the other day!! As the descendant of a demon hunter, I cannot let you live!!" Vulcan snapped his fingers. "Get her now!!!" His goons charged after Flora.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, but if you won't let me through I'll have to fight my way in there! Please pull out if you don't want to get hurt!!!" Flora pulled her backpack off and took out a large wand and smacked the goons out of her way. "I'm sorry! I hope you can recover from you wounds!!!" Flora then hurried to the school, but was once again blocked by Vulcan's group. There was no escaping it.

Vulcan glared at her. "So you had a weapon all along? The more reason to get rid of you. Get her!!!! " At his command, the goons circled Flora. Flora knew she couldn't fight off this much. She didn't know what to do. It seemed hopeless for her…and then…

"Picking on a girl? Youguy are so pathetic…"

All of them turned their attention to a strange boy with a red scarf. Vulcan glared darts at him. "Stay out of this!! This girl sympathizes demons!!! She should not be allowed in this city!!"

"Throwing out a girl for sympathizing demons huh?" The guy walked up to Vulcan and grabbed by the collar. "Who are you to bark orders like that? What are you? King? Overlord? You're not any god!! Why not leave her alone and try and fight for the title before you act it!!!" The guy then tossed Vulcan to the ground. The boy sneered at him. "Heh...worthless piece of trash..."

Vulcan rolled to the side. He was now steaming mad and looked to kill someone. "What are you fools doing!?! Get him!!!" His boys agreed and all of them leaped at the mysterious boy.

The goy just scoffed at them. "Humans…they never listen…" Just as Vulcan's boys were about to tackle him, the boy began to light up. The illuminating presence became brighter and bright. And then in an instant, a large explosion surrounded the boy, blowing back every one of Vulcan's goons.. Both Vulcan and Flora were completed overwhelmed. Obviously this was no ordinary man.

"W-what are you!?!"

The guy simply glared at him, with the most demonic looking eyes. Eyes that could look into your deepest, darkest fears."You're worst nightmare." Vulcan fainted at the sight. The guy stopped glaring. "Geez…to think there would be such extremists here." The guy then turned to Flora, who was quite surprised. The boy put his hand out and smiled."Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

"N-no!" Flora replied as she took his hand. He pulled her back up."I'm just a bit startled. You just came here all of a sudden and protected. And…" Flora noticed something very unusual about him. "Those pointy ears of yours…are you a demon?"

The guy smiled. "Heh…so you noticed? Yes, I am a demon."

Flora was surprised, if not confused at this point. Her savior was a demon. She felt a little better. In fact, very happy. "So you are a demon!! Finally, I get to see one!!! And to think a demon would save a little girl like me! So this proves it!!! Not all demons are evil!!!"

The demon began to laugh. "Hahaha! That's just like you! You must think demons have love too, right?"

"Eh? Well yeah!!! Everything has love!!!" The demon grinned. That sentence just seemed so nostalgic. _It's her...I know it is..._Then Flora realized something. "You said 'just like me?' Do I know you from somewhere?"

The demon realized what he was saying and stopped. _That's right, she doesn't remember…_Soon, he heard some police sirens. They were far away, but he could still hear them since he was a demon. Flora, on the other hand, couldn't even hear them one bit. _Shit…_ "I'm sorry but I have to go!"

"Eh!?! But why!?!"

"I can't explain right now!!" The demon tried to run off, but Flora wouldn't let him escape. She tried running after him.

"Could you at least tell me your name? My name is Flora!!! What's yours?"

The demon just kept running. He then yelled out, "My name is Laharl!!!"

"Laharl…?" Suddenly, Laharl jumped into what looked like a portal. The portal swallowed him up and took him to some place unknown. Despite that, Flora wouldn't budge._No, I can't let him get away!!! I have so many questions!!! And...I have to know what he really meant...why he feels...so familiar..._"LAHARL-SAN!!!"And so Flora took a biggest risk she could ever take: she jumped into the portal, not knowing what she was getting into.

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Incredibly short and confusing, and my descriptions are lacking but I hope you liked it. Coming up with some of the names was a lil tough but I was able to manage. You know it took me hours to come up with the name 'Flora' for her (you all probably know who Flora is by now). The other reincarnations, you'll have to figure out. Oh and I just ordered the other Disgaea Novel "Makai Senki Disgaea: On Love". The cute one with Laharl and Flonne together on it. I can't wait to see it. Anyway, next chapter, we'll get to see where this portal is taking Flora. Also, a familiar vassal turned Overlord is looking for her successor. Hmmm...I wonder who it's gonna be? Please R/R. I'd appreciate it. 


	2. Reunited

**Author's notes: **It seems like I'm getting some positive reviews from everyone. I was hoping that Nostalgic Feeling's debut would get as many reviews as Aku no Tsubasa, but it doesn't matter. I love reviews, but I like to write fics even more. And as long as those who do review give me the thumbs up to continue, I'm okay with that. As for LunaMew's review, yes, I'm not the most grammatically correct person in the world. I can't find the right words to use or how to use them correctly, so sometimes my fics don't come out like I planned them to. As for those many typos, that was QuickEdit's fault. I checked my fic three times over and saw absolutely no typos, yet when I post it, I find it littered with many words without spacing. It's probably not perfect, but please know that I do check and edit my fics.

Anyway, with Aku no Tsubasa getting closer to big climax, Nostalgic Feelings begins with our new heroine, Flora Lammings, chasing Laharl through that portal. Where will it bring her? You probably already knew. Just like how you guys knew who Flora and a couple of the other guys were.

**Disclaimer: **I say this all the time: I don't own Disgaea, but I do slightly own any character I named, or at least their names.

**

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****Episode 2: Reunited**

For a moment, all Flora could see was pure white. She couldn't tell if she was falling up, down, left, or right or where she was falling to. What she did hope for was that when this was all over, she'd get to see Laharl once more. The demon that saved her from an ambush concocted by one of her own classmates, left through the very same portal she was in. Though she couldn't see him, she felt that there was something familiar about him. After all, she needed to know why he would save her. Finally, after almost an hour, her little joyride through limbo ended and she landed in…a pretty dark place. A place wherethings that looked like treesbe were decaying. Monstrosities flew overhead. On one side, a highly volcanic area sizzled and fizzed. It seemed like simply walking in there meant certain death. The other side was cold and brisk. Icy mountains and structures, outlined by snow and ice. Any human walking over there would be in danger of freezing to death, much less get a severe cold.

Flora kept surveying the scene around her. She felt a bit excited, if not a little frightened. _Could this be the Netherworld? It looks a little dark and dim, but it doesn't look that bad of a place. I'm sure some of the Goths in school would love it _(Sorry if I'm offending any of you goths). After a bit of examination, Flora noticed another structure that was close by. The building was made up of twisted towers and oblong keeps. It looked so awkward that one may think it would crumble. Flora knew where she had to go. _Maybe if I go into that castle, there might be someone who knows where Laharl-san is, or at least someone who could be my friend. _That's when Flora realized something. _Oh no! I won't make it to class. Alora-san and okaa-san are going to be mad!!! Okay, then first thing I should do is find a way out of here. _And so, Flora began her journey into the Netherworld.

It was dark. There was nothing but darkness. Some would fear this kind of atmosphere.

"But I'm not one of them!" said a dashing voice. "I cannot fear darkness and I cannot fear evil!!! Who am I? I'm Captain Go—?" Before the voice could finish his sentence, a humanoid demon with spiky green hair stomped on the voice's origin.

"Oh shut up, Gordon. Your speeches are not only annoying but are also ancient history."

"Ancient history!?! I'll have you know that I have saved many lives because of my dashing appearance, Kai!" Gordon squealed at the demon.

Kai once again smashed Gordon's head. He obviously had no interest in Gordon's personal history. "Yeah, but who cares who you were? You're now just a dark blue Prinny who doesn't know when to keep his beak shut!"

"Must you always do this to me, Kurtis!?!"

"And stop calling me 'Kurtis'!!! My name is Kai!!!!" The argument dragged on and on. The onlookers gave weird stares at the two. Finally, another Prinny, which was yellow, came by and begged them stop.

"Please, you two. If you want to fight, please take it somewhere else. You're going to embarrass, Etna-chan!"

"But Jennifer!!!" Gordon whined. "He started it!!!!"

"Me!?! You're the one who won't shut your beak!!!!"

"Shut up, Kurtis!!!!"

"I'm not 'Kurtis'!!!!" Suddenly, two flimsy, metallic arms grabbed the two 'babies' for their 'time out'.

Their 'baby-sitter' was a robot, a fully mechanical robot with flashing lights, and beeping sounds. "Blip beep blip. Thursday Mv (Makai version) 2.0 has detected idiots. Awaiting orders to administer punishment."

"There's no need for that, Thursday," said a female demon with pink hair and an incredibly skimpy outfit. Her hair was done in pigtails. "I'd rather do it myself! Hyaaaaaah!!!" The demon began her rain of terror upon the two victims. Those around the area would rather not witness the punishment she gave them. Soon afterwards, the two were on the ground, beat up, and bruised all over. "Hopefully, you two will shut up now."

Another demon with pink hair came in. However, his hair wasn't tied and he a little shorter. Oh and he was a guy. "Etna-san, They're all waiting outside."

"Thanks Aramis." Etna replied. She, along with Aramis, went over to dimensional portal. Everything was going according to plan. The only thing she wished was for a certain someone to show up. Someone that has been on hiatus for a long time. _If only the Prince could see this. Too bad he's still lamenting over Flonne-chan…no wait scratch that. He'd probably have a fit if he were to find out who the next Overlord could be._

Outside, Flora was attempting to get into the Castle. She needed to find out more about this place, as well as find a way to get out of here since she's missing school. She kept thinking about what kind of excuse to give Ms. Alora. She couldn't possibly tell her that she ended up in the Netherworld and couldn't get out for a while. However, getting to the Castle was impossible at the moment, for there were demons, large and small waiting outside the gates. The demons were all different. Some were big and some were just average human size. Some were hideous; while others looked stuff you'd normally see in an anime. They did have one thing common: they were all shouting and waiting for something to come out of the Castle. Flora, as the only human, had no idea what was going on. She was…just here, looking for someone to tell her something. Then, a couple of Prinnies began to set up a podium. Maybe there was a big speech or something. Then, a blue portal appeared and soon, Etna flipped out of the portal and onto the podium, posing for her audience. Some of them clapped, but others weren't pleased. All they wanted is what they were here for. Flora, of course, recognized Etna right off the bat. _Hey, she was the one in that Shopping Network._

Etna made her way towards the podium. She then took the nearby mike and, after clearing her throat, made her big announcement. "Welcome everyone! I'm so happy that I, Overlord Etna, could stand before all of you! After all, who is the slyest and sexiest demon in the Netherworld?"

"You are…" The demons groaned. While she was highly respected, those there didn't really respect her. Why? Because she has something they want.

"Anyway, I'm sure you know why you're all here! One of you shall become the successor to the Overlord. However I can't choose just anyone. I have to make sure the one I'm choosing has the potential. They have to be strong, clever, and above all, cute!" Many of the demons began to leave. However Etna stopped them. "No no, stay down! I was just joking about the cute part. However there's one more thing you need beside strength and intelligence. What that is up to you to decide. Now I shall choose four to come with me inside the castle. The four I choose may bring a vassal if they choose to, but only nine, so make sure you choose a good ones. Now, can you all please look at your under your foot. If you have pink dot on your foot, please step up." Many were admonished by this way of selection. If you have a pink dot on your foot, you step up. If you don't, you don't. It means that four RANDOM people would be chosen. "C'mon people. Look at you foot." However, Etna, the ever clever demon, did not just choose random people. _Heh. You think I would choose my successor randomly? Think again! A special geo sphere has powered the ground you've stepped on. If anyone of high power, cleverness, and the special requirement I was talking about is standing on the geo panels, it will place a pink dot on their foot. Clever ain't I?_

Despite the fact that Flora was human, she needed to get inside the Castle. If she wanted to get any further, she would have to win this contest. Then again, this contest was nothing but a test of luck. Flora was one human out of the millions of demons out there. In addition, she doubted herself about the next portion of this test. _Even if I win, I am nothing more than a human with a staff. What chance do I have against these guys? Besides, I probably didn't win. I'll just check my foot and—_When Flora looked at her foot, there was a small pink dot stuck to her foot. The chances of this happening to her, at least in her mind, were almost impossible. Lady luck must have been shinning on her today. _I did it!! Even if I don't win, I'll make it into the castle. Maybe then, someone will tell me how to get out of here._

"Will the last winner please come up here?" Etna spoke in her microphone again.

Flora took this as her chance. It took her awhile to get there. After all, many of the demons were five times her size, but she eventually got there. "Sorry it took so long, but yes, I'm the last one."

Etna stared at Flora. There was something different about her, yet familiar. _Hey, how did a human get here? Actually, what I should be asking is how she passed that test? Well a winner is a winner I guess. In addition, if she won, this means that she has a lot of power. This may be interesting… _"Thank you for playing! All the losers please leave the castle!" Many, however, protested. The biggest of the protesters were several incredibly large demons. They snarled and growled at Etna. "What do you want?"

"We are demons of the Alternate Netherworld!! The strongest of all!!! Feared by many as the Lord of Terror!! How dare you shun us from the title using nothing more than agamble!! I'm especially angered at the fact that you would choose the small girl that won over us!!!! We have decided that rather than playing nice and fair, we will be dirty and gain the title through more forceful methods!!!"

"Oh please!" Etna snapped back. "Lord of Terror? You've gotta be kidding me! I've seen the 'Lord of Terror' and you guys hardly live up to the name! You lost because you are nothing but weaklings!!! Now go home before you really piss me off!!!"

"WHY YOU LIL MAGGOT!!!! DIE!!!" The demons roared into the sky, scaring off many of the demons. They soon began their attack on the Overlord. Their might could easily be felt by everyone. True to their word were quite powerful. They were so powerful that many thought they could level mountains. However, just as they reached Etna, Etna pulled a spear and simply slashed at them. It was only two slashes, but that was enough to destroy her opponents. "How…could we be…defeated…so…easily…?" The two collapsed in a pool of blood. No one has witnessed Etna's power in his or her life. This was the first time they have ever seen Etna fight, and yet it took only two attacks.

Etna put away her spear, and turned to her audience. "Anyone else wanna attain my title?" Her audience, of course, backed away. After a bit of silence, Etna grinned again and turned to the castle. "Okay, all you winning demons, follow me!" All the winners followed her into the Castle.

As they walked through the Overlord's Castle, Flora noted many things. Despite the gloomy looking mood of the castle, everyone seemed upbeat and cheerful. The demons of the castle were always moving, either to do work or crack a joke. There was always activity in the castle. No one was slacking off. If there were, they would be interrupted by another demon. Flora giggled as some of the demons began to whine and joke. _These demons have quite a sense of humor_. After a bit of walking, the four possible successors to the throne stopped in front of a fork in the path. One path was leading left whlie the other going to the right. Etna finally turned to her combatants and began to explain the next part of the test. "Alright, listen up. Everything else from here on is a pure test of combat and leadership skills. I warned everyone to bring their own vassals in the beginning and this is the reason for it: in your battle, you will be allowed to have your vassals fight for you. The rules are simple: you can bring out up to nine vassals to fight your opponent. However, this is like a game of chess, if you defeat your opponent and his vassals are still alive, the battle automatically ends and you win. Everyone got that?" The other three demons nodded. Flora, however, was frightened. She didn't expect to end up in this battle for the throne, and she didn't even have vassals to protect her. Etna saw the worried look on her face, so she tried to calm her down. "You're not here for the title of the Overlord, are you?"

"Hai..."

"Thought so. You don't have to force yourself into this battle, you know. If you want, you can wait in the lobby and then we could talk."

However, Flora began to clutch her staff. There was a new force driving her to continue to battle. "No, I'm going to fight. There's something I've been meaning to see ever since I got here. If I'm going to find it, then I'm going to have to see how strong I am." There was only one thing Flora wanted to see. There was only reason why she still remains here. _If I'm going to see Laharl-san again...I have to make sure I'm ready...I have to make sure that I'm strong enough to face this obstacle._

The other demons began to laugh. Hearing a human's dream was nothing more than a amusement, since they love to see those dreams being crushed. Etna, however, didn't find it very amusing, but was impressed with Flora's strong will. _Even after seeing who she's going up against, she doesn't want to give up. She's very stubborn when it comes to her ideals. Reminds me of someone I once knew... _"Okay then, I'm gonna split the four of you into two--" Suddenly, blood splatted all over the wall. The blood came from one of the winners being killed by a malicious demon, who also won the contest. Etna would've killed the demon right about now, but decided not to. Instead, she began to yell at the demon. "You just spilled blood on my carpet and wall!!! Why the hell did you kill him!?!"

The demon just simply sneered at Etna. He was a very arrogant one. "There is no need for filth who can't handle this. Besides, I'd like to see more slaughter in here. If I were to fight while the others battled on the other side, I'd be missing all the fun. Therefore, I have killed one of my possible opponents, and left it to the three of us. Personally, I'd like to deal with the girl, but I'll let my colleague handle her."

Etna gritted her teeth, but simply sighed and went along with it. "Fine, we'll let the two of you battle. Winner fights this stufu." She then proceeded with taking them all to the battle room. The room was very large. In fact, it could fit a thousand demons inside it. It was the perfect field for a team battle. "Now since the retard killed off the other guy, you and the human girl must fight. Remember the rules, okay."

The demon that was going to fight Flora, a pig-like demon, nodded it's head and snorted. "Hahaha...I shall make mincemeat outta you! I don't even need my vassals."

Even if it was a large demon she was going up against, Flora felt a little relieved. She only had to face one demon, and that was it. "I accept your challenge."

Etna stood in the middle of the battlefield, playing the role of spectator. "Now before we start, it's best that you introduce yourself to your opponent. After all, you do wanna remember the chump you beat down."

The pig demon clutched his large axe in his hands,waving it viciously in front of Flora. He was going to show her no mercy. "I am Porkaiser, of Snout Keep. Once I'm finished with this battle, I will make sure to bring this girl back to my castle and have her serve as my slave." While that really disgusted Etna, she couldn't help but notice the demon's name. He seemed to be well known in the Netherworld. _Porkaiser has lately been the talk of the town. I've heard that he could chop an entire mountain in half, but I bet he's nothing under all that fat._

Flora took out her only weapon: the staff that she used against Vulcan. It had a circular pear ring on to top, with something that looked like wings on it's side. She gripped the weapon in her hand and pointed it at Porkaiser. "I'm Flora Lammings from the city of Tenkai. My wish is that we can end this battle without spilling blood, so please try not to push yourself." Etna eyed Flora suspiciously. Not many humans have entered the Netherworld, and those who did usually perished. _For her to come here, she's no ordinary human. Since she's from Earth, I have no idea how strong she is, but if she carries around that staff, she can probably fight. Something's odd about her, especially looking at that staff. It looks very familiar..._

Etna decided to think about it later. She didn't want to keep her combatants waiting. "Okay, on my signal, you can begin. Ready?" The two combatants nodded. There was no turning back in this battle. "Okay...BEGIN!!!"

Porkaiser rose his axe over his head, readying his chance to finish this. "If you give up now, then I shall let you live and become my slave. Will you stand down?

Flora shook her head. There was no way she was going to let his strength scare her. "You must be pretty strong to lift that heavy axe. However, I won't let that scare me. I'm not going to give up."

"Well then, it seems like I have to destroy you then. You could've been a good slave, but now you rejected my offer. I'm afraid you must die." Porkaiser, using his fierce power, swung down on Flora. It was coming down really hard, almost confirming the rumor of his strength. Then, in that split second that it was going to come down on Flora, Porkaiser fell backwards with a loud thud. There was a big bruise on his chest, which resembled Flora's wand.

Flora looked at her fallen opponent and bowed to him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't over do it, did I?"

Aramis, who was observing the entire thing with Etna, was shocked that the girl could be so powerful. To be able to defeat Porkaiser with one hit is unimaginable. "What kind of girl is she?"

Etna, however, was not surprised at all. In fact, she was quite impressed. She noticed hints of powerful energy flowing inside of her. "Hmmmm, I knew there was something awkward about that staff, and she did mention she was from the city of Tenkai, a city rumored to be filled with demon slayers. It must be a demon slayer weapon. What boggles me is how she got that weapon..."

Nonetheless, Flora had defeated her opponent. The other demon, who was watching from the sidelines, began to chuckle. "This is quite a surprise. The great Porkaiser destroyed by a little girl?"

"Well I hope I didn't hurt him too badly..." Flora said, continuing to check on Porkaiser.

"Well you shouldn't worry about him right now!" The demon tried to claw Flora, but she was able to dodge it, barely that is. The very same demon, a vampire, snapped his fingers, and soon nine vassals appeared onto field. He began to chuckle. "Hmhmhm. My name is Brawd! As the most powerful of all demons, I shall destroy you and the Overlord to become the supreme ruler of the Netherworld!"

"Are you done? Cuz I wanna what kind of idiot would name their self Brawd...?" Etna was not at all impressed.

"Silence!!! Brawd sounds like 'blood', which is what I shall be spilling!!! Starting with the girl!!!" Brawd tried to claw out Flora again. Flora dodged it, and countered by whacking him with the staff, but Brawd wasn't affected by it. "This piece of wood shall not affect me!!" Brawd smacked her aside, and Flora was on the ground. The force was pretty powerful for her human body to take. "Now that you realize you can't defeat me, I shall let my vassals have the privilege of torturing you to death. Prepare for your doom! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Brawd snapped his fingers once again, giving the signal for his vassals to finish her off.

Flora backed herself away from the demons, but they kept creeping up on her. This was it, Flora couldn't handle something like this. To think, a normal junior high school would die from the very race that she tried to support_. This is it...there's no escape...and I couldn't even make it back to school...please someone...someone...help me... _The demons were about a foot away. Then...

"Slow torture to death? Prepare for your doom? What a cliched line! That's minus 5 points. Oh and minus 15 for that horrible evil laugh. No one would like to hear an Overlord with a laugh like that!" Flora and Etna heard the voice's review of Brawd. Something seemed familiar about it.

Brawd looked all over the room for where the voice was coming from. He was angered by the voice's critique. "How dare you mock me!?! Do you know who I am!?!"

"Yeah, an angry vampire who doesn't know the first thing about becoming an Overlord! Minus 10."

Brawd began to grit his teeth. He couldn't stand hearing another word from this person. Suddenly, he felt a strong presence behind him. He began to grin evilly. "He's behind us. Alright, vassals destroy him!!!" The vassals did as they were told and charged at the critic. However, none of them could touch him, for they were suddenly pushed away by his powerful force. Burns covered the bodies of the vassals.

The critic finally stepped out of the shadows, revealing his true identity. "Weak vassals. No Overlord should hire a bunch of weaklings. Minus 20." Flora and Etna recognized the critic. His flowing red, yet tattered scarf, anttena hair, his soul piercing red eyes. These features belonged to only one person.

"L-Laharl-san..." Flora felt almost relieved. Not only was she saved, but her goal may finally be in reach.

"Prince...?" Etna could hardly believe it. Laharl had finally returned from his journey of sorrow. It felt like someone who had died, resurrected and returned to her.

On the other hand, Brawd couldn't help but laugh. "HAHAHA!! So you're Laharl, the former Overlord of the Netherworld? Excellent! By defeating you, I shall have proven myself worthy of the throne!! Prepare to die, former Overlord!!! Chaos Pyre!!!" Brawd charged his powers into his claws. Soon, powerful energy appeared in his claws. He then took that energy and hurled it at Laharl. Laharl simply deflected the attack. It was no problem for him.

"Complete weakling. Minus 50. That's game over for you." Laharl began to summon his powers right into his fist. This power set his fist a blaze. The power within his fist was immense. "Blazing Knuckles!!" A few seconds later, Brawd was lying on the ground, charred to the point thatno one could tell it was him. Laharl simply scoffed at him. "I didn't think I hit him too hard. He really is a weakling." Laharl turned to Flora, who was a little shocked by the events that had transpired. Laharl chuckled a bit and walked up to her_. Heh...at least she's safe_. "Hey, need any help getting up?"

Flora, seeing the kind demon's face, couldn't help but feel kind of embarassed. She shook her head, blushing all the while. "No no!! It's alright!! I can get up myself!!!"

Laharl ignored her and helped her up anyway. He did smile a bit, seeing a tint of old memories returning to him_. She...probably would've reacted like that if I tried to help her up..._

"After all this time, you finally return, Prince." Etna finally said, witnessing the entire scene. She had a big smirk on her face, which hasn't been seen a very long time. Ever since Laharl left the throne.

Laharl chuckled to himself as he turned to Etna."I see you've been doing well as an Overlord, Etna."

That's when something hit Flora. "Wait. Did Etna-san just call you,'Prince'?"

"Yup. I was once the Prince and Overlord of the Netherworld."

Flora began to sweat. She read about Laharl yesterday in class.After waking up from a two year slumber, he took control of the Netherworld and began his reign. That reign ended in a few months due to a tragic incident which costed the lives of three angels, which included the Seraph. She couldn't believe that the very same demon in that story...would be standing right next to her. She almost fainted, but remained calm and said, "Wow...I...never...knew..."

Laharl chuckled again. He felt almost at home, now that he, Etna, and Flora were here in the castle. It felt like he had traveled back to the past.

However, this travel when Etna interrupted his thoughts. "There's one thing that bothers me: why have you come back?"

Laharl turned to Etna. He looked very serious. Whatever it was, it was going to shock both Etna and Flora. "I'm here as a part of your search for the next Overlord."

Etna was a little puzzled by his answer. Either way, she shrugged. "Well okay, but I'm not going to just give your title back because you were the former Overlord. You'd have to fight me for it."

However, Laharl shook his head. He wasn't here to become an Overlord. He was here for something else.

"No...I'm not here to reclaim the title. I'm here as Flora Lamming's head vassal. She is to be...the next Overlord..."

* * *

Dundun dun!!! Cliffhanger!!!! Yeah, it was a very weird and short chapter but I hope you like it. Sorry if the grammar and everything sucks again. If there are typos, then blame it on Quick Edit. Anyway, Laharl has returned to become Flora's vassal, but does this mean Flora will become the next Overlord for the Netherworld? Will Flora return to Earth or stay in the Netherworld? And what will happen if her mother finds out? Find out in the next chapter!! 


	3. Where do I belong?

**Author's notes: **Hey everyone, since I got some free time to kill, I've decided to update NF. AnT is already getting to its conclusion, while NF is basically just starting. Plus, the battles in chapter 9 are becoming a pain to right. I will finish Aku no Tsubasa, I promise you that, but I need a break from the battles, so I've decided to work on Nostalgic Feelings. After all, I'm sure everyone wants to know what Flora's response. Also, I've decided to base Laharl's appearance on a fanart I've seen where he's older, which can be found on the netherworldgallery Yahoo group. Btw, I'm changing Flora's mother's name to Rose.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Disgaea. I do own any names in here though. Also, I don't own the fanart of 'teen Laharl', which is the basis of his appearance.

**

* * *

****Episode 3: Where do I belong?**

"Me…? …an Overlord…?" Flora's situation has become even more confusing than before. After gaining access into the Castle, she had to fight off two incredibly powerful demons. Luckily, Laharl, the one she was determined to find, had come for her and defeated the demon vampire Brawd. However, his return sparked a question from the Netherworld Overlord Etna. Laharl's response, however, was not to become Overlord, but to become the vassal of who he deemed as Etna's successor, Flora.

Etna, who was surprised to see Laharl again, was even more surprised to find that he was here to become Flora's vassal, not to mention that he chose her to succeed Etna. "Prince, you're choosing her to succeed me?"

"Yeah, and she won this lil game of yours right? It's only right for her to succeed you."

Etna was a bit skeptical about this though. "Prince, first of all, this tournament was concocted in order to see who could become my successor. The winner isn't automatically my successor. There could be others out there with more potential. And even then, are you sure Flora-chan wants to become the Overlord?"

"Of course she does! Right Flora?"

Flora was unsure of herself. After all, she had been dragged into this unexpectedly. And to become the Overlord of the Netherworld was just hard to conceive. She was just a junior high school student from a demon slayer's city. "I'm sorry…Laharl-san…but I can't become the Overlord…"

Laharl, taken aback by her response, placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to change her mind. "What do you mean? Why can't you become an Overlord?"

"It's because I'm a human!"

"So?"

"I…just don't belong here…" Flora replied with her head down. "I'm sorry…but I'm from Earth. I have a family, I have friends, and I have school to go to. If I become an Overlord, I won't be able to see them again. I'm sorry, Laharl-san, but I have to politely decline." Laharl didn't know how to react. He didn't expect Flora to simply decline the request. "Excuse me, but I'm already late for school. I need to go back to Earth."

Etna, seeing the situation she was in, decided to help her out. "Alright, just go through the dimensional portal over there. Ask Julietta to transport you to wherever you want. Tell her I sent you, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Etna-san." Flora turned to Laharl, who was still shocked that Flora would reject the offer. Flora bowed to Laharl. "I'm sorry, Laharl but thank you for saving me…twice. I hope we meet again." And so, Flora headed for the portal and back to Earth.

As Laharl watched her leave, he kept muttering to himself. He couldn't believe she would say no to a chance to become Overlord. Etna, the only one left with Laharl, finally turned to him, with a serious looking her face. "Prince, what was your plan in making Flora-chan the successor? What made you choose her out of everyone else, and…how do you know her?" Laharl simply turned towards the dimensional portal, and walked away from her. However, Etna wouldn't let him out so easily. "I'm not the same vassal that woke you up five hundred years ago!!! I'm not letting you get away this time!!! Everyone get in here and secure the dimensional gate!!!" In that very second, almost all of Etna's vassals had appeared. Her top vassals, Aramis, Kai, Prinny Gordon, Prinny Jennifer, and Thursday were beside her. However, loud gasps echoed as some of the vassals saw Laharl. When Laharl left, he left control of his reign to Etna, which included all his vassals.

"It's the former Overlord!" Gordon pointed his fin at Laharl.

"Laharl-chan, has returned?" Jennifer gasped.

"Who in the world is he?" Kai asked, clueless of who Laharl was.

"He was the Overlord before Etna-san took over." Aramis informed him. "Why he gave up his position is unknown."

Laharl looked around him. Everyone there was willing to keep him from leaving, especially all those he knew. While he could probably defeat them all, he didn't want to leave the Castle ruins. Laharl sighed, and decided to tell Etna everything. "Fine, you win. I don't want to leave this place with lifeless bodies, so I'll tell you everything. However, this is something between you and me, so dismiss all your vassals."

Etna nodded in reply. After all, she was the only one who needed to hear it, not the other vassals. She motioned for everyone to leave, and they all did as they were told. When everyone left, she turned to Laharl. "Let's go to my room…or in this case, your former room. That way, we'll have some privacy."

"Right."

Back on Earth, Flora was staying after school and helping Alora with cleaning up. This was her punishment for coming to school AN HOUR before it ended. Of course, Alora had notified Flora's mom about this, and she was furious to hear she would leave like that. As Flora finished with the board, she headed for the desks, and started to clean them. Alora noticed that Flora had been a little too quiet today, and was really worried. "How are you feeling today, Flora-chan?"

Flora faked a smile, hoping to please her. "I'm fine, thank you for asking."

Alora shook her head. "Do you really think that fake smile of yours will please me?" Flora bowed her head, seeing that Alora could easily tell. "Well what happened?"

Flora, once again not wanting to make Alora upset, decided to tell her story in rhetorical way. "Well you see…my friend is asking me to take on this job…and well…this job is something I can't handle. It's too far from Tenkai and I don't want to leave this school or my family so…"

"So is that why you were late?"

Flora knew that Alora would know about it, and decided to nod. "Yes…I'm sorry for coming so late…"

"It's alright. I was wondering why you, a normally early student, would come an hour before the end of dismissal." Alora was a little curious about this new job and decided to ask her about it. "So Flora-chan, what is this new job?"

Flora hesitated for a bit, after all, she didn't want to scare Alora or anything. She decided to word it a little differently. "Well it's the type of job that…well…you lead people in…I think…"

"In other words, you were asked to become the Overlord of the Netherworld." This time, Flora was really shocked. It made her think that Alora was kind of psychic or something.

Flora politely nodded to confirm Alora's suspicion. "I can't become the Overlord…what will my mom say…?"

"But your mom hates demons and you don't agree with her." Alora said, making Flora pay close attention to her. "It's not different if you become an Overlord. Besides, you love demons, right? Wouldn't it be great if you could show your parents that you have complete control over them and that they have nothing to fear?"

"But still…"

"Flora-chan…" Alora began, in a very motherly voice. "…you must not listen to what others tell you to do. Listen to your heart and you'll find the answer you're looking for, alright?" Flora simply nodded and went back to cleaning. As she wiped down each desk, she saw her reflection in them. Each time she saw her reflection, she thought she saw two people behind her. When she turned around, it was just Alora at her desk. Flora just kept thinking about what she said. _Listen to your heart… _Flora looked down on the next clean desk, and she saw those two people again. _Laharl-san…Etna-san…_

Back in the Netherworld, Etna became silent after hearing everything Laharl had told her. After Laharl agreed to be alone, Etna took him into her room and listened intently on his story. He told her about an even that happened fifteen years ago: someone's voice rang through his ear and told him that she would be reborn. With the pain from the pendant gone, Laharl searched for the reincarnated girl, until she came upon Flora. Wanting to be with her again, he devised a plan to turn her into the Overlord of the Netherworld. After hearing that story, Etna finally gave her response.

"So you think she's the reincarnation of Flonne-chan?" Laharl nodded in reply to Etna's question. Etna, however, was a little skeptical about this. "But what if she's not?"

"She is!!! Flora is the reincarnation of Flonne!!!"

"But Prince, how can you be so sure? I mean, sure she kinda looks like Flonne-chan. She even acts like Flonne-chan, but are you sure it is her? Just because you're reincarnated doesn't mean you act exactly like your former self."

"This…is my proof." Laharl then reached into his scarf and pulled out a little pendant. It was decorated with a jewel and gold, and it looked like a key. "It's this pendant that Flonne gave me before she died…five hundred years ago. On the very same day, I lost the flower and the burning was gone, I found out that Flora was born. At the same time, my pendant starts to feel warm around her. Seriously Etna, it's her."

"I know how you feel about her…" Etna began in a very serious tone. "But even if she is her reincarnation, this is no longer Flonne-chan. Her name is now Flora Lammings, a human raised in a demon-hating city on Earth. This not the same Flonne-chan sent from Celestia. She isn't the same person you love. She doesn't even remember you at all. And like she says, she has a life. You cannot simply pull her out of what she has right now."

"But…!!!"

"Besides, even if she were to become the Overlord, do you think the demons would accept her?"

"But that's why I'm here!!!" Laharl exclaimed with his sword drawn. "I'll crush anyone who dares to go against her!!!"

"And what will that accomplish?" Etna's question stuck Laharl hard. He didn't know how to answer back to it. Etna knew exactly what response Laharl was going to give, as he remained silent. "Exactly! It won't accomplish anything! You knew that as a former Overlord! Crushing your opponents does not work always work. The minute they see Flora, they'll try to crush her until she steps down or dies. She probably has too much going on in her life. Do not pull her away to be here. Let her live life peacefully on Earth."

"What part of being ridiculed as a 'demon sympathizer' equals peace?" Laharl said with his head down. Etna didn't expect such a question to be asked. After all, she had no idea what was going on in Flora's life. "I have seen what happens to Flora. Her peers hate her for thinking about demons. Her mother even scolds her when she mentions the word 'demon'. Even if she is a human, she being treated just like any demon would on that planet." Laharl then looked Etna straight in the eye. His fiery red eyes made Etna pay full attention to him. "As for the reason why she should become the Overlord…I want to avoid anymore angels, demons, and humans from killing each other. At least…that's what they told me."

**Flashback**

It is three hundred years after Flonne's death in Celestia. Laharl, who had been continually burned by Flonne's pendant, was trudging through Blair Forest in search for an answer. However, something caught his attention. It was someone presence, a familiar one.

"Who's there?"

"My my, why must you always call me out?"

Laharl instantly recognized that voice. He pulled out his sword and readied himself for battle. "So…you're back…"

"I don't stay down for long you know." The figure said as he jumped from the shadows.

Laharl charged at him with all his might. He needed to get rid of him and fast. However, the shadowed figure simply dodged it. "You haven't changed."

"I wish I could say the same for you." The Shadowed Figure said. "I cannot believe that you have gone so low."

"I don't need you pity!!!!" Laharl ignored the shadowed figure and kept trying to attack him. His mind was bent on erasing anyone related to the Celestia incident. _I have heard many rumors about you. You and the Seraph had joined forces. You two were plotting from behind our backs. And…it was you… _"YOU KILLED FLONNE!!!!!" Laharl's fist was now set ablaze as he tried to destroy his opponent. However, the shadowed figure caught it. Laharl clenched his fist so tightly and tried to push the attack in, but the shadowed figure wouldn't allow it. Suddenly, tears began to flood Laharl's eyes. The former Overlord cussed at the shadowed figure. "Damn…why…why did you let her die…why…she didn't do anything…"

"The Seraph's plan was not to kill Flonne." The shadowed figure told him. "Our plan was to test you. Flonne had taught you the meaning of love. When he turned her into flower, he needed to test whether or not you had learned from her. In fact, he would've spared her life however..."

"You expect me to believe that…?" Laharl pulled himself away from the figure and tried to punch him again. "If that's true, then that means I killed her! Do you expect me that I was the one who killed her!?!" However, the figure had grabbed his fist again, this time slamming Laharl to the ground. Laharl didn't get up this time. Instead, he slammed his fist into the ground, the tears welling up in his eyes. "…I couldn't have…I didn't want to…"

"Laharl…I understand how you feel, but acting like this won't help at all." The figure took Laharl's hand, and placed and his other hand on his. The presence made Laharl feel a little more comfortable. "Your love for Flonne was too great, you couldn't control yourself. Laharl, do you know what Flonne and Seraph Lamington have in common? They both have love for all beings. Angels, demons, humans, they would welcome any being. What they hope is that someone could continue to do the same. Laharl, will you aid them?"

"Even now…I don't believe in love…" Laharl groaned under his breath. "But I believe in Flonne. If this is the answer I'm looking for…then I will help bring unity to all the worlds…just for her…"

"Then let me give you this." The figure said as he place a small note in Laharl's hand. The figure then turned towards the trees and began to walk away. Before he left, he said one thing. "Laharl…I'll check on you again…200 years from now." The figure soon disappeared into the darkness, never to be heard from again.

Laharl grabbed the note and read it. His eyes widened when he realized who's hand writing it was. _It's…_

_Dear Laharl-san_

_Please do not blame anyone in this. It was both my fault and Vulcanus' fault for everything that has transpired. Please do not drown yourself in this darkness anymore. If you care about me at all, please listen to me and do as I say. They say that I'll be reincarnated two hundred years from now. Please wait for me. Till then…I want you to become an Overlord again. This time, rule with love and kindness. I want you to be the one destroy this discrimination against all the beings, once and for all. You are the only one I know that can do it. I'm counting on you._

_Love, Flonne_

Laharl stared at the letter he received. His face was filled with tears, and for those few seconds, the pendant did not burn him. He then tossed the letter and prepared to leave the forest. _I'm sorry, Flonne. I cannot become an Overlord again. It was the hands of Overlord Laharl who killed you. I cannot go back…not without fulfilling my new promise. Don't worry, I will help you end the hatred between the races…but I will not be the Overlord. You will see the new Overlord…two hundred years from now…_

**End of Flashback**

"So…this was all Flonne-chan's idea?"

Laharl nodded as he continued to stare at Etna. "If there is one person I know who can do this it's Flonne's reincarnation, Flora. I've seen her. The way she carries herself. The way she cares for everyone, even her enemies. Etna, you have to do this. Please."

Etna paused for a minute to think. This was a difficult decision for the current Overlord. Would it be worth it to have Flora as an Overlord and would this really bring a new era to the Netherworld? After taking her time in thinking this over, she nodded and headed towards the thrown room. "First of all, I'm only considering her as a possible heir. She's not going to be an Overlord just yet. There are still many candidates. One more thing…if you want her to become an Overlord so much…you'd better think of something that will get her back here…"

Later that night, Flora lay in the sofa of the living room. It was a rough Friday for her. Even after cleaning the furniture, some of her peers started to tease her about her 'demon friend'. As part of his revenge, Vulcan had spread the rumor to the entire school. Only Chris and Alora were able to comfort her. Everyone else teased her and poked fun at her. It was usually routine, so she wouldn't feel so bad, but the way they kept talking about how evil she and the rest of the demons were made her feel so awful about herself. _Is it really that bad…to have demon friends?_

At that moment, her mother came in. She looked very serious this time though. Something was up, and Flora knew it. "Flora-chan, may I please speak with you?" Flora sat upright and prepared herself for a scolding. "Flora-chan, there was a rumor that you cut class because you were hanging around a demon. Is this true?" Flora wouldn't reply. She felt so downtrodden that she couldn't bear telling her mother the truth. "Flora-chan, do you realize what you're doing when you become acquainted with a demon? First of all, your entirely family, not just you, are ridiculed. As you know, our family is one of the three greatest demon-hunting families. No matter what you think, it's true. Our family's name will be tarnished if you continue to think like that. Also, you're putting yourself in danger. Demons are nothing but evil. They will kill you in glance. They almost did the day you were born. We were lucky that someone killed them…but if you keep doing this you will die. Do you understand Flora?"

Flora's tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't hold in her feelings anymore. She didn't want to hear it anymore. She bolted up from the sofa and let out all her feelings. "No, I don't understand why you can be so cruel to them! You and everyone else in this city! Just because a demon tried to kill me doesn't mean all of them are evil. The one I befriended…protected me from harm. He protected me from my own classmate! I needed to see him again, so I went to the Netherworld to find him! It is true that demons there can be evil, but I've found good friends there! More friends than I have in this city! Why must you brand them as evil!!!"

This only shocked Flora's mother, Rose. She could not believe anything that Flora had said. "You went to the Netherworld!?! You skipped school to go to that retched place!?!"

"It's not retched!!! How come you can never understand me? Why do you always put me and every single demon down?"

"Flora, you are forbidden to go down there from now on! Do you understand me?"

However, Flora could not obey even her own mother. She loved the earth. She loved Tenkai. She loved all the people around her, but they could never love demons. It pained her inside that even her own mother would put her down like this. Flora's tears kept streaming down her face. She could not stop crying after going through all this. _These people. My mother. I can't stay here anymore. I want to show them once and for all…that demons aren't evil. I want to learn more about the Netherworld. About demons. About Laharl-san and Etna-san. I want to…go back…back to the Netherworld…_

"If you wanted to then why didn't you say so?" Flora gasped. That comforting voice belonged to only one person. That person was brushing the tears off her eyes with his soft hands. Soon, she felt his arms bring her into a warm embrace. The eyes of a forgiving moon. The antenna hair that made him look like a bunny. "Flora, my master, would you like return to the Netherworld with me?"

"Laharl-san…" Flora was crying was once again. However, these tears were tears of joy. The demon that protected her. The demon that saw past her appearance…has returned to her. Even after rejecting his offer, he was still here. Flora didn't know how to thank him. All she could do is nod in reply. "Yes, please let us return to the Netherworld…my vassal." As Laharl picked her up and headed toward the door, Flora's mother stood in front of Laharl, blocking his way out.

"So you're the demon everyone's been talking about! I'm not letting you out of here with Flora-chan! You can forget about her going to the Netherworld!"

However, Laharl simply took Flora with him and passed her mother. As he left, he said to her, "Ma'am, after saying that to your own daughter, you do not deserve to call her 'Flora-chan'…"

Later that night, on their way to the portal, Flora asked Laharl, "Laharl-san, I have school on Monday, so could we please return Sunday night? It's important that I go to school."

"Alright, but if those guys bother you again, tell me, and I'll beat their ass to ground."

Flora, normally a pacifist, did not want that to happen. "I understand that you'd like to help me, but please don't use violence on them!"

Laharl chuckled. "Alright, I won't."

"Laharl-san, am I fit to become an Overlord?"

"Well, what does your heart tell you?"

"Teehee…yes. I'll try my best to become a great Overlord…and maybe one day…the people of Tenkai will not hate me, you, or any other demon. Maybe there will truly be peace."

"I hope so too…Flonne…"

"Um…my name is Flora. Is this Flonne person a friend of yours?"

"I guess you could say that…" Laharl looked into the earth sky. There was a full moon, glowing in a bright blue color in the clear starry sky. Laharl began to smile, for this time the girl he wanted to see the moon with once again was with him…holding his hand tightly. _Thank you…Flonne…_

* * *

Yeah, abittersweet chapter. I know I said I was going to pay more attention to Aku no Tsubasa, but the Setsuna battle is taking longer than I thought it would. It was hard thinking up a lot of things and what to say and everything. The main story for it I have down, but it's the battle scene that's giving me the problem, so if you feel dizzy after reading the battles, sorry. Don't worry, cuz I'm already finishing up that chapter. Hopefully, the next few chapterswon't be as difficult.

Now that Flora is back in the Netherworld, she gets a real welcome from the vassals of the castle. However, Etna won't give make Flora the heir so easily. She as well as her head vassal, Laharl, must prove her worth. Can Flora pass this test? Tune in next time!


End file.
